The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1887-03-18

there. Only NANNY came to meet
them, and they were taken into their
mothers room, where the shut
tiers were all bowed. She kissed them
Lalage-Jane once and Jimmie a dozen
times-and then nanny put them
out of the room, with a parting order to
make no noise. Mr.. Ainsworth stayed
behind.
when he comes out Lalage-Jane
was thinking, and at that moment he
came. He nodded carelessly to the
child and began to descend the steps,
but she stopped him with a tiniid
question::
''If you please. sir want to know
where father is?''
"YOur fatherr' Mr.. Ainsworth said,
looking ut her uncomfortably What
plain child she was, and-shade of
HOrace!-tO call her Lalage. Her eyes
watched him with steady, unchildish
look That was the worst of his call
ing. All his own ills and all the ills of
other people!
my child" he said, and then he
hesitated a little. Her mother was
the proper person to tell her. 1t was
too bad to thrust such thing upon
him. He had done his part when he
shielded the children from a sight that
would have stood like a nightmare be-
tween them and their fathers memory
all their days. my child - he began
again. Unconsciously he fell into his
favorite pulpit attitude-his hand lit
tie extended, and his sweet, mellow
voice-his voice was perpetual delight
to improperly sUbdued:
HE has gone to that undiscovered
country from whose bourne no traveller
returns
Lalage-Jane looked at him in wonder
and indignation. ''You mean he's
gone travelin' an won't come backP'
she asked; and then she laughed. You
don't know! He'd never stay away
from Jimmie and mer'
Mr.. Ainsworth glanced back at the
child as he rode away.
"She will be as peculiar as her father
was, and newell! he had the courage
of his opinions. When he had had
enough of this life he gave himself his
| quietus. UnluckgP Unlucky was not
the name for him! And then to invest
his whole fortune in a boat. OF course
it blew upr'
Yet when George Garrison heard the
news of his ruin the men around re-
membered how well he bore it. He
rode quietly out of town, but he never
reached home The first driver who
passed along the road saw n stiffened
figure swaying in the gray morning
light. He had hung himself with his
bridle-rein.
But the little daughter still waited
for his return. Every morning her
first question was:
'Has-has he come yet, mammy?"
And nanny would shake her head
and say:
Law, no, chi1er'
my min misgive me sometime dat
/ ought 'er tell her." the old woman
would say in melancholy gossip with
Aunt Winney, the cook; ''but it'll 60
nigh to break her heart, she was dat
wropped up in 'er paw! An dar's her
NAV n not takin' no notice O. nuthin',
but jes' a-cryin' an a-cryin!'
One day strange gentleman came.
LISA, the under-nurse, said he was
lawyer. When he was gone Lalage-
! Jane ventured into her mothers room
and begged to know what made her
cry. Mrs. Garrison raised her pretty
/ babyish face with an irritated move
ment.
Its money" she said. That's
what is the matter"
Money! Was that all? Lalage-Jane
almost laughed in her gladness. She
had some, a whole beautiful Mexican
dollar. She kept it in an old snuff-box
and once a week she washed it. She
brought it and slipped it into her
mothers hand.
There, mother!" she said joyfully,
''it's for your
Mrs. Garrison looked up with a start
and thrust the coin aside pettishly, so
that it fell to the floor with a sharp
ring, and spun round and round.
''What good would that do?" she asked,
and began to sob again and wish
Orchard would come home"
Lalage-Jane stood for a moment,
and then went quietly away. She sat
down on the steps and pinched her
fingers hard to keep the tears from
coming
''pn get some money for mother
somehow" she thought, "an' then I
reckon I'd better 90 an hunt for father.
Uncle Richards in Cuba. l reckon
fathers there, too-an' mos anyone
would show me tn way there"
For long time she sat and thought.
Presently she jumped up with laugh.
Jimmie was, as usual, bestowing his at
tention upon his enemies, ''the stingy
geese" All his spare time was spent
in fleeing from or pursuing them.
Jimmie Lalage-Jane said, persua-
sively, don't you want to help me cut
wood to sell to the boats, like father
did last springP'
Alright" Jimmie said, placidly,
''if ven gimme the Ratchet. 1 can
Ratchet real good
Poor Lalage-Jane! At last, however,
this difficulty was tided over, and jim
mie was pacified with the carving-knife,
surreptitiously obtained. The next
thing was to escape mammy's vigil
ance. This done, Lalage-Jane walked
through the wood which skirted the
cleared land and examined the trees
with the critical eye of a woodsman.
1.-The beeches an magnolias are a lit
tie big" she said, gravely; Wen cut
some pine"
They chose young sapling, and on
one side Lalage-Jane chopped and on
the other Jimmie gravely sawed his
knife to and fro.
"Drefful fought he said, at last.